law of attraction

Law of Attraction or Law of Perception?

/ Steve Lakey / 1 Comment

magnet-illustration Magnet Illustration by K Whiteford

You may have changed your car and noticed soon afterwards that you see a lot more of the same vehicle on the roads. It’s nice to be a trendsetter! But deep down, we know something else is happening. It’s actually that we’re noticing the cars that look like ours a lot more, rather than an actual increase. This is known as observational selection bias.

Now, what if the Law of Attraction was us actually noticing the things that we focus on, rather than attracting the things we focus on?

Instead of the Universe having rearranged itself to do our bidding, what if our changed perception can now see opportunities that were not clear to us before, despite always being present?

If we cultivate the sort of positive outlook that finds us ready to take advantage of our circumstances, do we really need to wait for the Cosmos to align in our favour?

There does seem to be an implicit question of faith with the LOA. If you’re not getting the results that the gurus get, do you believe strongly enough? Are you being positive enough? Maybe their latest book or audio program will help to boost your belief. These products can give you a short-term positivity boost, but in my experience, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I know, because I’ve bought many of them myself.

It’s neither possible nor desirable to think positively all the time. Imagine being chased by a wild animal and not bothering to run, because you believe ‘It will all work out fine, in the end.’ I still think that we each hold the key to our own destiny, but I now accept that Life will always have uncertainties. Maybe that’s why we signed up in the first place.

Whatever our life circumstances, we can still choose how we view them and how we react to them. That is about us changing how we see ourselves, and our world.

Music to Your Ears

/ Steve Lakey / 6 Comments

Music in You

Photo: Background 350 Sabine Sauermaul

 

Listen, when you’ve got Life’s Blues,

Stop snoring, snoring, snoring, snooze!

Get up – Rock your day!

Pop out the Country way.

Dance your Soul with Classical pizzazz,

Carpe Diem, and all that Jazz!

 

This is my contribution to Trifextra: Week Ninety-Five, 33 word Challenge:  

We want you to choose a word and use it three times in your 33 words. However, it must be either a verb, noun or adjective and the form of the word cannot change, it must appear exactly the same three times.

Click on the logo to view the other entries. 

Trifecta

Don’t Go Without, Go Within

/ Steve Lakey / 8 Comments

the-candle Photo: The Candle by Bobbi Jones Jones

“The peace we need is always present, it’s just that

 we have forgotten where it is and how to find it.”

Clare Wilde.

It’s taken me a while to figure it out, but I’ve found that looking for external solutions to every problem just doesn’t work.

I’ve always thought of myself as being ‘Spiritual’ rather than ‘Religious’ and have never become formally attached to any such group. I’ve never accepted the “one size fits all” approach, where someone tells you they have all the knowledge you need. And you shouldn’t question their message or look elsewhere for answers, if it doesn’t make sense to you.  I like to have the freedom to accept or reject beliefs and philosophies, using my own reasoning and intuition.

And yet over the years, I’ve found myself wanting the “quick fix” that seems to be on offer with a self-help author’s latest title. No matter that I bought their last one, thoroughly digested it… And moved on to the next. I still have the books, CDs and DVDs to prove it!

Rather than just reading the material, I hoped that the latest book would be “The One” that gave me enlightenment, and solved all my problems. Or rather gave me all the tools I needed to do that. Isn’t that what Spiritual and Self Help books are supposed to do?

But they too have a “one size fits all” approach – suggesting that the solutions to Life’s problems can be contained neatly into a book, or Ten Step Programme or Nine CD set. And although their last book implied that this was ‘all you need to know’, they now have distilled their message into an even more perfect ‘must-read’.

It’s not helped by the fact that there is a huge industry that has developed out of the Self-Improvement and Motivational field. Which is not a bad thing in itself. But it seems that authors often try and out-do each other with ever more amazing claims of what their programme or system can do for you. Sometimes it’s really just a book, but calling it a “programme” or “system” gives it a bit more ‘holistic’ credibility.

I’m sure there is benefit to be had in learning and absorbing new approaches, and different perspectives. So I’m going to carry on reading and listening to motivational material. But instead of asking the author of the next book to give me Life’s solutions, I’ll look within. That’s where I believe I will find the answers I need. And where they were all along.

Design for Life

/ Steve Lakey / 6 Comments

Trees Photo: Sakura Trees by Petr Kratochvil

 

It’s been another hot summer’s day. Walking along a tree-lined pathway, it occurred to me that in nature, things effortlessly follow their own blueprint. I’m sure that trees don’t doubt their ability to grow tall and strong. A stalk of grass probably doesn’t compare itself to a neighbour.

Do we have our own “Design”? I think if we’re guided by our intuition, we know when something feels right. But we don’t have to follow it, and often Life gets in the way to drown out our inner voice.

We have the ability to rewrite our plans, over and over – which can be a blessing or a curse. Having the freedom to create our own life, means that if the doubts creep in, we can end up settling for less than our best. 

It’s an obvious statement, but Life is all about Creation. I used to believe that we have to take whatever Life throws at us. I now see that we actively co-create our experience together with Life. We are deeply involved in the process, every second of every day. Whether we’re aware of it or not.

Surely, we have a responsibility to ourselves to find what lights us up, and pursue it, to the extent that we can. Even if it remains a hobby, rather than a career. But more than that, if we lift ourselves up, we pass the benefits on to those around us, and subconsciously give them permission to do the same.

So, you know what to do… Find your talent. And shine your light.

It’s the Thought That Counts

/ Steve Lakey / 3 Comments

idea Photo: Idea by George Hodan

“Change your mind – your thoughts, your emotions and beliefs – and you will change your life”. David R. Hamilton PhD

Having recently read ‘It’s the Thought That Counts’, by David Hamilton, not only does Positive Thinking work, but also there is a huge amount of scientific data to back it up – it’s not just wishful thinking. The key message I took from this book is that our thoughts have the power to change ourselves, other people, and the world around us. Either positively or negatively.

Our mind and emotions can influence the health and well-being of our body and even the structure of our DNA. The author uses his background as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry to provide extensive medical evidence to back up his claims. But it is his own positive attitude and faith in human potential that really brings this book to life.

Many people are familiar with the Placebo Effect. Thinking that a course of treatment will make them better, is more likely to produce that outcome in a person, even with no active medication involved. But it goes further. The more a person believes in the whole process, the more positive the results tend to be. Receiving medication and reassurance from a convincing “man in a white coat” can lead to improved medical outcomes – if that fits with the patient’s view of professional medical care.

Studies have shown that even people affected by dementia can regain cognitive skills. By engaging with them in ways that stimulate brain activity, neural pathways can be created and strengthened – with tangible results. In simple terms, if people are treated as being “younger” than their age, they act “younger”. Having a positive outlook leads to positive changes.

The book also explores the idea that with our thoughts we can all connect with what renowned Psychologist Carl Jung termed the “Collective Unconscious” – a Universal source of knowledge.

David Hamilton isn’t suggesting that we ignore traditional medical treatments, but he believes that we should view the patient holistically, and promote positive thinking and lifestyle changes. The book is a fascinating read and gives a medical and scientific view on the power of Positive Thinking.